


Dark tidings upon us

by IronRoseOfRivendell



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 08:10:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10940460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronRoseOfRivendell/pseuds/IronRoseOfRivendell
Summary: Meriang of Rivendell is the daughter of a noble warrior from the High Elves and a Sindar lady from Thranduil's court. She and her twin brother Celegond have struggled as children of two distinct cultures and living with both the glories and woes from the Sindar and the Noldor. But this is not the only thing that tears Meriang's heart in two, as she'll deal with her heart, duty and the ominous signs of a war brewing in the dark land of Mordor.The story is placed over 30 years after The Battle of the Five Armies and before the events that led to the War of the Ring.





	Dark tidings upon us

  1. **Silver and iron, fire and stone**



Celegond found his sister in the armory's forge room, while she focused her work in a tempered metal bar. Her face gleamed from the heat of the fire, and her keen eyes reflected the light from the furnace, as if they were a source of light themselves. For a long time he watched her persistence  in the hammer's rhythmic hits against the metal on the anvil, until finally she realized that someone had come to visit her.

_“Hanar nin_![1]” Meriang exclaimed as Celegond smiled at the door. They hugged each other effusively. "I thought you were going to remain longer in Lórien." How was the journey back home?

“Quite boring, actually. We are  one day early because of the good weather, no setback to keep us camped more than enough. You should have come with us. Or would you find it extremely tedious, perhaps?

"As you said, there were no setbacks!" She smiled, hugging him again.

He still wore his journey robes, from the travel in King Elrond’s entourage, accompaining the  princes Elladan and Elrohir on their visit to Queen Galadriel, denoting that he had followed directly to the forge upon arriving at Rivendell, where his twin sister would probably be. She had been working on a new weapon for days, and speaking of her, she would not abandon the project until it was perfect.

"What are you working on this time?" He said curiously, glancing over the scrolls containing drawings and plans of the project his sister had posted on the wall of the workshop. The detailed drawing, containing measurements and plans at various angles, was of a heavy-looking club with the head of a rosebud surrounded by metal spikes.

“It's a mace. I named it Angluth[2]”.

"An unusual weapon fit for an unusual artificer! Have you fell tired of the clean efficiency of swords?” said Celegond, poking at her

"Swords of our steel, wrought by the wisdom of the ages, are a gift. It is an undeserved honor for our enemies to die by such means. They are to be treated like the beasts that are, miserable beasts, fruits of that which is perverse. They must be crushed and disfigured. When necessary, we will hear the sound of skulls breaking under the weight of Angluth”. Her eyes flickered at the tought in contrast with her serious expression.

"Such wicked thoughts, my dear sister! Rest your heart! Let us pray to the Valar that no bloodshed would be necessary.

"Words, letters and alliances are your weapons, brother. My path, as you may know, is somewhat different from yours”

Meriang put away her work apron and tools and led Celegond to the outside of the arsenal to a small raised garden overlooking the Rivendell valley. The fresh breeze came as a blessing to cool off the heat of the forge fire. For a moment they sat in silent contemplation as the wind  hummed around the garden columns and played with their long silken dark hair. Tempers so different in faces so similar.

The twins were the sons of a Sindar lady from the halls of Mirkwood, the Dark Forest who had once been called the Green Forest the Great, and a warrior of ancient lineage that still contained Noldor in their blood, from the blessed valley of Rivendell who had served Elrond's House. Living a childhood divided between the knowledge and customs of two distinct Elvish cultures, the family finally settled in the Hidden Valley, where they grew up and received instruction and training. Meriang had a knack for armed combat and crafstmanship, and Celegond followed the inclination for the art of diplomacy.

Celegond swallowed and for a moment pondered the words he would use when he touched on a delicate subject that should no longer be delayed:

"About what we talked about before the trip ... You were not serious when you said you had plans to live in Mirkwood, am I correct?"

Meriang was silent.

"I will not try to dissuade you, for it would be easier to dig another passage through the mountains to Moria. However, I would be happier if my sister had given her heart to someone who was up to her standards. Someone that would bring you happiness, here in Rivendell.  I know there are high ranked ellyr that would be keen on courting you… Not that particular ellon... Listen to me, at least once, Meriang!”

She stared at him with her eyes drawn disbelief. How dare he say anything about what was not his?

"Why do you insist on taking this position with me, Celegond?" Are we not brothers, equal in birth? And yet you act as my elder? Why are you acting as our father? For I believe he would not make such an interposition. This is not how he raised us”.

“A deserted Sylvan elf”...

"Sylvan elves have lived on this earth much longer than we have!"

“And we are descendants from those who saw the light of the Trees, while they are hiding in the forest that will one day consume them!”

"Do not forget that our mother was, as you say, a moriquendi[3]!”

It was Celegond's turn to shut up. Seeing Meriang turn her back and go straight to the forge, he lamented for ruining the moment of peace with his questions.

Meriang was quite a challenge, in spite of his diplomatic talents, beyond what he dealt with matters of state. He also had a divided spirit, as he was the son of two elven houses whose positions regarding the  Shadow that slowly consumed Middle Earth were largely diverse. He had been educated to be a scholar of the history and culture of his people and admired with great reverence the wisdom of King Elrond while conducted the arguments in the blessed valley of Rivendell, where they all lived peacefully.

However, he was uneasy about the way the King of the Forest Halls, Thranduil, son of Oropher, ruled. In his opinion, a ruler who conducts his subjects towards isolation from the outside world and refuses to listen to those who advise against the evil that will ultimately wreck his kingdom, should not be loved by everyone and would eventually fall. There was something else in his negative judgment about Mirkwood.

In his nightmares there were visions of his mother poisoned, killed and partly devoured by spiders.

Reading his expressions as to a book, Meriang retorted:

"I know how you feel about the Dark Forest and what happened in the past. Unfortunately, you did not spend enough time in that place to realize how our forest relatives love their territory. Of course they are too protective, but it is for defending their home. A home that was once grand and beautiful, but today lives in the threat of ruin. Surely this does not go unnoticed by King Thranduil, who you deem less capable than our king Elrond. The threat coming from the South is much closer to him than to us, and fearing for the lives of his subjects and their families, what he does is completely understandable”

"A kingdom that ostracizes those who ‘desert’ their stone halls and want to live outside it, wandering aimlessly across the continent, as they did with your suitor, Aerandir, _nethel nin **[4]**_? Celegond gestured, opening his arms in impatience-something that even in the case of strenuous power struggles between kingdoms he hadn’t done.

"Why so many thorns in your words?" Did you come here just to sneer at me? Weave your judgments hastily? Why do not you leave me to my worries and return to your scrolls and books, where nothing escapes your control? To the world of courtseys and calculations of what may be tomorrow if the kingdoms decide to destroy each other before the Shadow devours them?” Meriang held a hammer on one of her hands and struck the anvil causing sparks to fly.

"Leave me, Celegond. Leave me in the company of my ‘impulsive decisions’!"

“As you wish!” He withdrawed, with a somewhat exaggerated, ironical bow.

"It's the Shadow that is to blame for our mother's death, Celegond." Orcs. Spiders. Creatures that the Dark Lord worked out in his wickedness. The evil that comes from the South. Not the poor souls of Mirkwood”

"If only our father had not decided to leave for the Havens ..."

"Would you rather he had remained, languished away with sorrow and contemplated the rise of the darkness as it is foretold? I miss them as much as you do.”

They both looked at each other, their eyes glittering with tears, and they would end up cooling the blood that boiled in them, like water against red-hot metal.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [1] My brother!
> 
> [2] Iron Flower (Meriang has practically given her own name to the weapon, in synonym words)
> 
> [3] Elves that have not headed to Valinor during the Great Migration of the First Age, thus not contemplating the light of the Two Trees
> 
> [4] My sister


End file.
